Of Evil's Bane
by HeartsRekindled
Summary: As Link’s birthday marks 18 years, he is faced with a new challenge, reuniting with old friends and making new allies in order to triumph over Ganon yet again. LinkXOC.
1. The Return of a Nuisance

Disclaimer: I'd like to own Zelda, but I don't. Miyamoto, however, does.

Synopsis: As Link's birthday marks 18 years, he is faced with a new challenge, reuniting with old friends and making new allies in order to triumph over Ganon yet again. LinkxOC.

A/N: This chapter took forever to write and had more than three years in the making. I just loved the prospect of Navi having to bend to the whim of Ganon. I hope y'all enjoy. R+R porfavor. I'm sorry to say that this particular fic is a dead-effort. I'm sure though, that with the release of Zelda '05 for the GC, my muse will start telling me to write again.

Of Evil's Bane

_A fan fiction by Valerie Luna_

**Chapter I**

**The Return of a Nuisance**

Hyrule manor was eerily calm that night. There wasn't a star in the sky. Not even the moon was available to guide oneself. There was also an abundant lack of intelligent life. It was altogether still; not a breeze to rustle the branches or sweep the leaves, no small creature scavenging for food. The air hung thick in the environment; which was bad news for Navi, who was already panting.

The dark king, Ganondorf loomed over a small bust sculpture of the goddess, Nayru that was cleverly placed in a nearby a fountain. Between his enormous hoof and the ground, he pulped it into the soil. The atmosphere was all too perfect to him. He grinned to himself. It would not be long now.

But of course, with the flapping of a fairy's wings (and mouth) at your ear, it is inevitable that such gratification would be cut short.

"Just you watch!" Navi squealed, annunciating each syllable to give her words the effect of daggers. "This is undoubtedly a lost cause! The Hero of Time will avenge us once Zelda catches wind of your resurrection!"

Ganon swatted at her like the puny firefly she was and was able to effortlessly able to knock her to the moist ground.

He kneeled down closely to her and said, "Of course he'll _come._ Surely that does not trouble you? Your real concern should be how he plans to obliterate me _this_ time."

Her lip was quivering, but she bit it and sassed, being the stubborn fairy she was. "I-I'm not worried. Just look at you! You're a mangled carcass! How do expect to conquer anything in that condition?"

Ganondorf had to agree with her. His body was awfully battered, even after the decade he'd had to recuperate. He made a fist, examining his claw-like hands. He had a charred knuckle that was absent of a finger. Navi's argument was, however, irrelevant.

"Have you forgotten who I am, Fairy?"

"I've tried, but It's difficult to forget someone so foul as you are."

He chuckled as if she were teasing. "I am Ganondorf Dragmire. I single-handedly seized the palace seven years ago and became the ruler of this land. I enslaved the nobles, enchanted the townsfolk, even went so far as to wither every plant that had so much soaked the same sunrays as the King's dynasty. I did this through _magic_. It was thanks to my ability to conjure spells that I was able to do this. This intimidating body is merely a shell. If I looked similar to you, with as much magic I could still conquer this country."

Navi pondered for a bit and then, steadily got to her feet. "Then why stay in that form? That form that takes up so much of your power and makes you look like some hideous beast? Why not focus your energy to more important things?"

"Because, my dear, it is all I have left."

"Ha!" she thought she was so great in her protest, "Because Link beat your real body into a pulp, is that it?"

His response was cool to her dismay. "Hardly. My Gerudo form is completely intact. It is in the shadow realm now. You see, Navi, the beast you see before you is my puppet. I'm controlling it from my prison until I am able to free myself. Do you understand?"

Her mouth was agape and her eyes were wide. "How are you able to do that? That sort of magic is forbidden…everywhere!"

"My magic knows no limits."

She shook her head to relieve it of any discouraging thoughts. "Still, the severity of this situation seems much less now. So you're just a puppet, huh? That's almost funny! Despite what you just told me, my worries are few."

"Shall I demonstrate what this puppet is capable of?" he menaced.

Navi gulped. She thought it best from that point on to keep slightly quieter than before.

Ganon stood and she flew to be eye-level with him. He held out one of his enormous palms, and with the other claw, he traced onto it a circle with his index finger. Navi was strangely drawn to what he was doing and hovered at his hands for a closer look. As if the friction between his palm and finger had ignited a fire, a brilliant green light began to flicker under his claw as he moved it. The faster he moved his finger, the more it sparked, until finally, he jerked the tracing hand up over his head and a small puff of smoke twisted from his palm.

She coughed and flapped her wings to fan away the smoke. Through the descending smog she saw a very curious something. Levitating just a few inches from Ganon's palm was a mysterious green and blue orb. She suddenly recollected vague memories that she and her ex-partner Link had shared. The green hue of the orb was symbolic of him, and the blue streaks that orbited it were reflective of her constant vigilance over Link.

In a trance, she muttered, "I miss him," and extended her arm to touch it.

But before her tiny hands could reach it, Ganon's fingers closed around it and the orb twisted into another thick, black, puff of smog.

She suddenly felt dizzy and had to bat her eyes for a moment until she was able to see again.

"Why did you dispatch it?" she demanded.

"Because it has extremely harmful effects," he said, "I wouldn't want anything terrible to befall you-not just yet. It lures its victims in by means of sentiment and then, when touched, it will make you age in an instant until you're a crumbling corpse."

Navi took in a shaky breath and gripped her now throbbing head. Knowing that her life could have been ended by something so seemingly innocent was a very hard prospect to grasp. "That is positively vile. Never use it again."

"Not to worry, it was after all, only a demonstration."

There was a long silence, and then Ganon decided to stray nearer towards the castle. If not for the spell Ganon had placed on the fairy that kept her within two feet of him, she would have flown off and warned Link immediately. Had she moved away from the Gerudo king, a surge of electricity would run through her veins, and she'd be injured. She had to fly swiftly to keep up with him, and by no means was he so kind as Link to let her rest on his shoulder. She suddenly began to cry. She hadn't done so in a very long time. "Why?" she bleated, "Why keep me here, with you?"

"Because you play a key role in my plan."

Quietly to herself, she mumbled "Your plan?" as if to gain a better understanding of what he'd just said. "No! I refuse to work for you! I loathe every inch of you! I want to see you fail!" Her tears of anger now and she was frantic. She was unable to avoid Ganon's hands cupping around her.

"Oh, come now, Navi." He was doing his best to falsely console her. "What use is it to weep? Besides, the sacrifice that will commence by you is not so great. Only three lives will be ended through your courtesy. When your work is finished, then I will do away with you. If you do well, your death might even be quick and painless."

Her tears were slung wildly as she jerked her head around and wriggled under Ganon's grip. How could anyone be so repulsive? "Damn you!" she shouted. He loosed his grip, and Navi fluttered off in a blind rage, only to get shocked. She was sent to the ground. That was no mere static. The pain lingered on long after the shock had passed.

"Foolish girl." He said and turned his back to her. "I've better things to do than educate you." To himself, he voiced a countdown. "Three…two…one."

Suddenly, from across the manor, the white stone of the castle was illuminated and a great clatter came from within. There was screaming and the sounds of steel on steel.

"What are you doing? The princess! She'll be alright, won't she?"

"All in good time, Navi…" Ganon said, brushing off the whole ordeal as if it didn't matter.

She could hear the sound of feet to the near East. She knew it was Ganon's cohorts from the menacing sound of their march.

"Damn you," again escaped her lips and she hugged her knees into her chest.

"I know, darling, I know. Damn me."

His cavalry approached and Navi could see just how horrible they looked. Each of them was scarred beyond reason, as Ganon was himself. They were beasts who walked upright and spoke in the Hylian tongue. They were the Moblins. Some were propped upon horrible drooling creatures that looked similar to horses, but lacked hoofs and had sharp fangs for carnivorous eating. There weren't many of them, but their presence was just as powerful had there been thousands of them. She noticed that there was a small cluster of them near the front of the caravan. They were surrounding a large, covered wagon.

"Ah, just in time!" Ganon reveled. "I assume you've collected him?"

Him? What was going on here?

The largest Moblin stepped forth. He was gray-skinned and had a face similar to that of a bulldog with the snout of a hog. "You wouldn't believe how easy he was to capture, my lord. That sleeping-serum is some powerful stuff!"

"Excellent. Good work," he pushed his way through the soldiers to reach the covered wagon and Navi was again forced to follow. It pained her to do so. Ganon unveiled the wagon.

It was a cage made of glowing red bars; that alone was unusual. But it was what was inside that caught Navi by extreme surprise. "How! What is he doing here? No harm is ever supposed to befall the unicorn!"

"Be quiet!" He again struck Navi, and she again fell. "The unicorn is sleeping."

"Stop this!" she demanded. "Let him go!"

"Having captured the beast in this cage is only phase one of my plan." Ganon rubbed his palms together as if he'd wrestled the unicorn himself. "Now!" he said in a positive tone to his troops. "Let's commence phase two! Join your associates in the castle. Do not harm the royals. Kill all else in your path."

The uproar that the Moblins created was more than disturbing. They shook their spears and shields and stomped their large feet. They marched passed Navi and Ganon, toward the tall, magnificent Hyrule Castle. Ganon paced around in anticipation.

Redundantly, but with the utmost gusto, Navi said, "Damn you."


	2. In Dreams

A/N: Yay…Link comes into play at last. I have so much fun getting him into character since RPG's leave so much to the imagination. Dumb blondes are just oh so kyoot. Saria's mucho fun to write, too, being a kid, while at the same time, very mature and minful. sigh...this has been saved on the H-drive for ages, this means I actually have to go and write chapter three. Cripes, that may take a while. Anyways, enjoy.  
Chapter II In Dreams 

In the morning when the blood red dawn consumed Kokiri Village, it looked more like evening. This was all the more reason for Link to get some extra shut-eye.

He still resided in the same tree hut, something far too humble for the world's savior to be accommodated in. Inside, his clothes were tossed carelessly in different directions (one boot was soaking in the sink), the pots on the stove had never been cleaned, and the candles on the table were down to their last inches of wax. He had outgrown his cot years ago, and now his bare feet hung over the edge of the frame. As lewd as it sounds, to Link, this was home, and he wished for no greater luxury.

Unbeknownst to him, a large cluster of about fifteen children waited at the trunk of his tree. Each of them had with them their own fairy. It was uncanny that Link wasn't awakened by the glow the fairies produced alone, but one would think with the light, and the voices of several young kids shouting his name would stir him.

"Hey!" bellowed one boy, "Get out of bed, you lout! Do you even know what day it is?" When there was no response, the child crossed his arms and pouted. Another boy tossed him aside and shouted, "C'mon Link!" but it was to no avail.

"Oh, give it a rest!" came a young girl's voice from behind the Kokiri.

The children immediately shut up. The girl obviously had some authority over the other kids of the village.

"What's with all the noise? I mean honestly?" The dark-haired girl began pushing through the crowd and proceeded to climb up the ladder to Link's doorstep.

But many of the other children were upset by her choice to do this. "You're going in there?" asked one little girl with worry.

"You better be careful, Saria, he's got a sword!"

She had to stop midway through her climbing to roll her eyes and shake her head at them. Her fairy, Leef, was also protesting. "Saria, don't you remember last time an intruder came into our village while he was sleeping?"

"I'm no intruder!" she stepped up onto the porch, performed a short curtsy and teasingly tugged on the deer-hide tapestry that Link had used for a crude front door. Short after, she lifted the hide over her head and disappeared into the house.

"Hey, Link," she poked, quietly. "Wake up, it's Receiving.

Link only rolled over under his blanket.

"Hey!" again there was no response. She proceeded to shake him, but making her way through all of the junk in the house was no easy task. She had to avoid milk bottles, silverware, and jewelry and stepped on the floor between such items. Ironically, it was the floor that brought her to her knees. Her boot had snagged on a loose floorboard near Link's bed and she fumbled to steady her fall by groping his blankets.

Such a rude awakening would not be tolerated. Link abruptly shot from his mattress, snarling, somehow with his sword unsheathed. He was poised to slit Saria's throat. He stood over her, intimidating with unrest in his blue eyes.

But the scowl quickly melted from his face and no sooner did he drop his weapon on the bed. Hastily, he knelt down to help the poor girl to her feet.

Saria's hair was erect as if she'd just been electrocuted. She had seen Link act in such a manner, but never when the defense was directed at her, a friend. Although she knew it was not his intention to attack her, she pushed away his hands when he offered to pick her up. Her knees were very shaky, however and she wobbled when she tried to stand.

Link gripped her small shoulders and gently shook her. "You're okay? I-I'm sorry. Oh, man, I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Link," she said. The wonderful thing about Saria was her ability to keep calm. Even when she was so nervous, her thoughts were steady and her speech wasn't affected. "You of all people have a reason to be cautious," she brushed off her shoulders and shot him a disapproving glance. "I thought you agreed to put that thing away?"

He knew of what she referred to. His blade lay on the cot. He looked down at it in regret. "I know," was all that he could manage to say.

Saria bent down to poke at her raw knee, "What's the matter, Link?" She still spoke in an acidulous tone.

"The matter? There _is_ no matter, really…it's not a big deal." He went cold and folded his arms. It became apparent that he was wearing only the bottom half of his tunic.

"No matter, eh? Is that why your sleeping with your sword and attacking visitors?"

"Okay, okay, spare me the guilt," he pleaded, flailing his arms. It was obvious that he was reluctant to continue talking. He kept glancing out the window. "It's these dreams I've been having."

The blood spouting from her leg suddenly became less interesting. "What? You're kidding?"

"No." He walked to the cabinet to fetch her some gauze. "You…remember the first time I left the village, right?"

"I do," she said. A look of concern spread across her face. It was seldom that Link ever left the forest. The first time he ever had seven years before, he'd returned with an explanation of the future.

Saria was a sage of the Forest. Someday, she would have to leave and fulfill her duty among the remaining six sages. Although it was a great honor, she had no wish to go. Her destination was unclear, but one thing was for sure: no place was better than Kokiri Village, with its lush grasses, bountiful trees, custodial canopy, and rushing creeks. Sacred or not, this Temple of Light, Saria did not want to go there. But, if for the good of her race, she would leave.

"Well," he continued, pulling a bandage from the cupboard. It was one of the few items he kept handy at all times. "While I was out there-in the world-I could never let my guard down. And in my dreams lately, I'm still a ten year-old kid. Those dreams have been reminding me so much of those dark times that I've gotten really jumpy. I don't really feel safe without my sword nearby, while I'm sleeping, especially."

There was a short pause. "I don't like this, Link," said Saria.

Link looked at the damp rag that he was dabbing at Saria's wound. "What, you want me to get you a warmer cloth?"

She snorted. Link was a very hard person to stay serious around. In contradiction to being quite clever, he was also at times the typical blonde. "No, your _dreams_."

"Ah…" he bit his lip in embarrassment.

"You remember the last time your dreams affected how you live. You wound up leaving home and…fighting."

Saria gave a small chirp as Link wrapped her knee in a bandage. It must have stung terribly. "Well, hey, you can't argue with destiny, can you?" he said.

There was another short silence. A voice from outside eventually broke it. It was none other than Mido inquiring about Saria. He was never satisfied unless she was in sight of him.

Saria hesitated and limped as she walked to the doorway. At this, Link realized that he had probably tied the bandage too tight, being so accustomed to the severe wounds of his own. "Down in a minute!" she pronounced to the children, then turned back to Link. "I'm sorry, you're right," she said in a dark voice. "But _please_ don't bring that thing to the ceremony," she was pointed to the sword, lying innocently on the mattress.

He made his way over and sheathed the Goron's sword, then safely tucked it under a floorboard beneath his bed. "Wait…ceremony?" Link sounded alarmed. "Today?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten?" she was giggling now. Friendships so pure are hard to come by.

He was hopping around looking for the rest of his clothing. He struggled into one gauntlet, and wrestled his way into his undershirt, but he couldn't find that other boot…

"Hurry up, we can't very well leave without our guest of honor…our village elder…the hero of time…"

"Hey, cut that out. First of all, I've done nothing that the villagers know about of honor, second, I'm not even legal yet, and…" He was very modest, but he couldn't find a rebuttal to defend himself from the title "Hero of Time". He grinned

"There, see," Saria said, plucking the soggy boot out of the sink and shaking it off, "Now let's get out of here."


End file.
